


there for you

by unknown20troper



Series: Short Temple Fics! [4]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Temple-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 23:20:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14862222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknown20troper/pseuds/unknown20troper
Summary: Temple loses a friend and gains one.





	there for you

Somehow, somehow, he'd managed it. He'd shot Biff - and in the right place. Closed his eyes, grit his teeth, and shot. And Biff got sent home, got exactly what he wanted. Got out of the stupid war, got to be with his girlfriend and their future kid. Got everything, and left Temple with... nothing, honestly. Nothing.

The other Reds had then attacked in retaliation, unaware of the complete and utter lack of malice of the shot, and Temple and his team had dealt with it. Not too violently - no one had died or needed medical leave as a result of it - but harshly enough to put a stop to it. Though Temple figured the reprieve wouldn't end up being that long.

After that, Temple had had enough interacting with people for the day - or maybe even ever - and retreated to his bedroom. Where he was currently, pretending to sleep and trying to hold back his tears and rage. Not entirely successfully, to be honest, but good enough to keep his team from hearing and figuring it out.

Because they just couldn't know. Could never know that Biff was his best friend, his crush, that they had been meeting in secret, that Blue versus Red was all fake. Because the war effort needed them, needed the farce to continue. Temple didn't know why but it did. And because Command, if Command knew they knew, Command might do something to cover it up. For the greater good, of course. The greater good.

Temple was fucking sick of the greater good!

It never managed to include him, his good never managed to count for it, and he had had enough. He wished he could be selfish for once, wished he could've told Biff how he felt before it was too late, wished that Biff had chosen him instead of Georgina. That he could've went after what he wanted and got it. But he couldn't and he didn't. And he lost. Always lost. Always. Always. Always.

"Sir," said a soft voice. Loco.

Right. Now his team needed him. Needed him to lead. Needed him to fight the stupid war.

Temple got up.

"What's wrong, Loco?" Temple asked, letting his annoyance slip into his voice.

"That's what I was going to ask you," Loco replied, as though the question was as puzzling to him as his machines were to Temple. "I'm fine. We're fine."

"So, what do you need me for, then?"

"Nothing, sir," Loco said. "You look like you need a friend, that's all." And then, hopefully, "Maybe a best friend?"

Temple sighed. "And why do I look like I need a friend, Loco?"

"Because you're sad, of course."

"I'm not," Temple said, voice cold.

"You are. You've been trying to avoid hurting people but... the orange soldier pushed you too far and you had to shoot him."

"... what?"

"You're a pacifier-"

"Pacifist. The word's 'pacifist.' 'Pacifiers' are what babies suck on."

"Pacifist. But things got bad and you got stressed and you shot him. And now you're feeling guilty because you hurt someone you never wanted to hurt."

Temple couldn't help but laugh. Loco's idea of him was so charmingly naive. So wrong. Inevitable, he supposed, with all the efforts he'd went to make sure Biff was safe, but wrong. A fairy tale.

"What's so funny?" Loco asked. "I admire that about you. It's noble. It's part of why I like you so much."

Oh great. Loco really did like him for his mask. He hoped that maybe Loco'd seen something real, but if he was spouting that, well...

"Can you keep a secret?" Temple whispered, poison in his voice.

"Yeah, but if you want to tell me it, you should really let me in."

Temple sighed. "Fine. Alright. You can come in."

Loco entered, and sat down on the bed near Temple.

"I'm not a pacifist," Temple said, quietly and scathingly. "That's just some story you made up in your head. It's not who I am. I'm not that good, I'm not that noble, I'm not that wonderful, I'm not that anything..."

Loco frowned. "But if you're not a pacifist, why do you... why don't you ever attack the Reds? Why do you always try to stop us from doing it and get really mad whenever we do it anyway? Why is the only thing we do against the Reds defend?"

"Because I have a best friend. Had." Temple sighed. "The orange guy I shot. Biff."

"If he was your best friend, why'd you shoot him?"

"He asked me to. He needed to get back to his girlfriend and unborn baby. Biff Jr., he called it."

"But... why would he want to leave you? If I was your best friend, I wouldn't. Even if you're not a pacifist."

"I don't know. Lots of reasons. I'm really not that great. And he, he's... wonderful. It only makes sense that he'd find someone better."

"Better than you?" Loco asked, incredulous.

"Yeah. It's not impossible. Whether Georgina's actually better than me is... debatable, but he sure does like her more."

"Would Georgina give him up if she was in your place and you were in hers?" Loco asked, voice quiet.

Temple sighed. "I don't know. It'd never happen, anyway."

"Yeah, but we do know that you'd do that for him. Because you already did."

"And?"

"That means you're a great best friend!"

Temple smiled sheepishly. "I guess it does, yeah."

And that Loco did like something real about him, he supposed. That when the pacifist illusion was stripped away, he found something about him that he liked just as much.

"Of course it does. And I'd be honoured to be your best friend - or even just your friend - if you'd let me."

"Huh. And not just so you can guilt-trip me into shooting you so you can go back to the person you really want?"

"You are the person I really want, sir," Loco said.

Temple went red. "That's forward of you."

Loco blushed, though on his brown skin, it wasn't as visible as Temple's. "Well. I guess it is. I didn't mean to be. I do like you that way, sir, but-"

"If you're going to say things like that, you have to stop calling me 'sir,'" Temple interrupted, voice firm. "If we're going to be friends, best friends or ... that, especially, you have to treat me like an equal. Not your boss, not your leader. Your friend. Temple."

"Temple." Loco smiled. "Temple. I want to be your friend, Temple. And if I'm lucky, your best friend or your boyfriend."

Temple then couldn't help but give Loco an appreciative look over, thinking about the boyfriend idea. He wasn't quite ready for it, but... damn... damn. Loco was beautiful, with his brown skin and his freckles and blue eyes and messy brown hair and soft body and subtle muscles. And he was a sweetie too, it turned out, a sweetie that really loved him. Him, not just his mask, and more than he loved anyone else.

"Friend, I know I can do," Temple said, grinning. "Best friend or boyfriend, I'm not sure about but... maybe. Later."

Loco smiled at him, looking as though Temple had just given him the sun, moon and all the stars. And if Temple didn't care about being a tease, he would've kissed him right then and there.

"Thank you," Loco said. "I won't let you down."

And Temple supposed that meant he had something after all. Someone. Loco.


End file.
